


with full transparency

by surrenderer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chancellor Armitage Hux, Dinner, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Minor Canonical Character(s), Pre-Star Wars: Duel of the Fates, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Surprises, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29474133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surrenderer/pseuds/surrenderer
Summary: Chancellor Hux receives some unexpected news in the middle of his afternoon.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 11
Kudos: 50
Collections: Year of Kylux





	with full transparency

**Author's Note:**

> Happy (late) Valentine's Day! I thought I could finish this in time for the actual holiday, but the story got away from me a little.
> 
> A few disclaimers: Vertu is a fake planet and I made up Sweethearts' Day as the GFFA equivalent to Valentine's Day. Thank you, [sternfleck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sternfleck/pseuds/sternfleck), for the initial idea.

“Chancellor, we’re receiving reports of an attack on Vertu," Commander Sellik tells him during their regularly-scheduled afternoon meeting in Hux’s private office.

Hux stops mid-sentence at her interruption. “We don’t have active forces there at the moment, other than the orbital blockade,” he says after a moment, unable to help his surprise at the news. Vertu is not under First Order control. Not for lack of trying on their part, due to its abundance of mineral resources, but somehow, the local militia has been able to repel every trooper squadron Hux and his commanders have sent there in the five years since the First Order took complete control of the galaxy. Negotiations hadn’t brought them to the table either; if Hux didn’t know better, thanks to his extensive spy network, he would say that they were harboring Leia Organa and her ragtag group of traitors.

So now, Star Destroyers patrol high in the skies, limiting the number of cargo ships that can enter and exit the planet. They’ll starve them out sooner or later.

“Vertu is surrendering. As of ten minutes ago,” Sellik shows him her datapad, and Hux is astonished to find a full document of surrender displayed, effective immediately and complete with signature verification and a timestamp from Vertu's leader, a monk-like figure who has been a thorn in his side for entirely too long.

He’s still puzzling over the mystery of Vertu’s abrupt surrender later that evening when he enters his private dining room, just off his main quarters. He tends to take his meals there or in his office, unless there are planetary representatives in the Capitol and a full state dinner is necessary.

He thinks he'll be alone with his thoughts and his datapad, just as he likes it, as the door slides open for him, but then he realizes that he's not, because the Supreme Leader has returned to Coruscant.

"Hux," Ren says, standing up from his chair when he stops in the doorway.

"Supreme Leader. I was unaware of your return." Hux does not particularly enjoy being taken off-guard, but Ren can be as melodramatic as the rest of his family—he should be used to this by now. Of course he would show up unexpectedly at the most inconvenient times.

"The Knights and I finished our business earlier than expected," Ren says. "I knew you would be busy, so I didn't send word."

Much earlier than expected, Hux guesses, for Ren is clean-shaven and dressed down for the evening in a pair of training leggings and a clean padded tunic, rather than the set of heavy robes he favors on missions and when conducting First Order business. He looks more like Snoke’s apprentice than the Supreme Leader.

"I would've informed the kitchens if I'd known you were joining me for dinner," he says after a brief pause. He certainly can’t turn Ren away now. It's not uncommon for them to share meals, but it's also not a common occurrence either. Sometimes one, or both of them, are off-planet; sometimes Hux is too busy running the galaxy, or Ren is too busy communing with the Force, or training with his Knights. Free time is not a luxury either of them have much of.

Ren shrugs, sitting back down as Hux takes his own seat. A droid whirs by with a pitcher of drinking water and two glasses of the sweet wine from Naboo that Hux has grown fond of in recent months. "I already did. It'll be fine, Chancellor. We’re just having dinner. Relax."

And Ren makes a good point, surprisingly—why _is_ Hux so nervous? They're long past the point where Ren would attempt to poison him; the empire would fall apart without Hux to hold it together while Ren travels between planets to subdue their enemies. This isn’t six years ago, when Hux was certain that Ren would grow tired of him and dispose of him sooner or later.

Six years ago, Hux was ready to defect to the Resistance if necessary, to save his own skin, but instead, Ren had offered him a promotion to Grand Marshal.

The serving droid brings two plates out and shakes Hux out of his reverie as he focuses on the food instead; instead of the usual single-plate meal Hux has come to expect, it is a smaller bowl of creamy seafood stew, paired with a golden-brown bread roll. It's not unfamiliar; in fact, it’s reminiscent of Arkanis, thanks to the abundance of seafood in it, but it's also not his usual dinner fare. The last time he’d had it, he and Ren were negotiating a treaty in the Outer Rim and their hosts had thought to curry favor with the Arkanis-born Chancellor with familiar foods from his childhood.

Maybe Ren requested a soup course when he arrived back in Coruscant. After so many years of nothing but First Order rations in the Unknown Regions, Hux is really only beginning to scratch the surface of planetary cuisine, especially the kind found in the Core Worlds, but Ren, having spent his youth mired in the corrupt decadence of the New Republic, has always had a taste for the finer delicacies that they can now obtain.

Ren has never been particularly talkative at the dinner table, and Hux doesn't feel the need to fill the silence with inane chatter. But when the droids take their empty bowls away, Ren asks him how the day has been. An odd conversation starter, given the Supreme Leader's usual lack of interest in the affairs of state, but Hux tells him about his morning meetings with the Mid-Rim trade representatives. Ren, for whatever reason, pretends to have some interest in the subject, even though Hux knows from previous experience that he doesn’t.

"Ah, and we received some interesting news from Vertu today. It seems as though they've decided on a complete surrender to the First Order," he adds as the droids bring out the main course: a small roasted tip-yip for each of them, with a sauce boat of rich gravy, roasted root vegetables, and fragrant buttered rice with herbs. Once again, unexpected, but perhaps Ren had a craving for tip-yip, as he often does. Something about his childhood meals, Hux recalls.

He doesn't expect Ren's reaction to the news, though. Vertu is a resource-rich planet, full of the minerals they need to manufacture First Order weaponry, but there are many similar planets scattered throughout the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions. There's no need for Ren to stare at him across the table like that in complete surprise.

"How did you know about Vertu?"

Hux frowns, more confused by the second. "What do you mean? We received their surrender only a few hours ago; I've been scrambling to find representatives and ambassadors willing to take a post there ever since I was notified. To be honest, it's taken up most of my afternoon.”

Ren looks annoyed now; Hux has no clue what he's said or done in the last two minutes, but if Ren will act like a petulant child about status updates about their empire, then he doesn't know what else there is left to talk about.

"You weren't supposed to know about it," he mutters, frowning at the plate in front of him. For a bewildering second, Hux wonders if he's talking to the roasted tip-yip.

"Wasn't supposed to know… about Vertu? Of course I should know about it, we very well can't absorb another planet into the Order’s empire unless I know about it."

"You weren't supposed to find out until now," Ren sighs, finally looking up from his dinner plate. "It was supposed to be a surprise. A gift. For you."

For him. It's Hux's turn to frown, because what gift-giving occasion is it?

And then he realizes what day it is.

Sweethearts' Day. How Hux detests it. Despite the First Order's best attempts at stamping out this charade of a holiday and its celebrations, it's never worked, especially not in materialistic Coruscant. Merchants across the galaxy use it as an excuse for sales and promotions and couples will celebrate their romance through useless, expensive gifts, regardless of what the First Order says about how unnecessary all of it is.

But Ren's actions and secrecy make sense in light of this reminder. "You returned to Coruscant early to join me for dinner, with the news about Vertu as your gift," Hux says slowly, to make sure he's gotten the facts right. As far as grand romantic gestures go, this is hardly Ren's most foolhardy one, even if Hux has said, constantly, that there is no need for gifts or sappy romance as long as they continue their fruitful collaboration, for the sake of the First Order. At least this time, it wasn’t the preserved heads of their enemies. "Ren, was that what your mission was about? Taking over Vertu?"

Ren nods, stabbing one of the carrots on his plate with his fork. At least he’s taking his annoyance out on the vegetables, and not on the table, the walls, or on Hux himself. "I only took the Knights. We knew we could get in and out faster than the troops would, with less of a fuss. It only took a few hours.” He scowls at his plate. “I wanted to get back to Coruscant before you found out. It was supposed to be a surprise. That, and this dinner.”

“Don’t blame Sellik for this, she was only doing her job when she notified me,” Hux says, before Ren can get it into his head to get her demoted or killed for ruining his surprise. He’s spent far too much time training her to work efficiently as his second-in-command to have to start all over again with someone new. “You can’t blame me for being concerned about the sudden addition of a new planet to the empire, with no warning whatsoever.”

Ren is still sulking, and it makes Hux a little uneasy, but he brushes it aside; he’s simply worried about Ren’s infamous temper, that’s all. He would like to finish his dinner without needing to replace the table; it's made from a very rare mahogany and happens to be the most expensive piece of furniture in this room. “The infiltration went well, though? No major injuries?”

Ren shakes his head. “No, it was easy. Most of them were armed with our own blasters, most likely from our previous battles on the planet. But they weren’t expecting the Knights.”

“They weren’t expecting the Supreme Leader himself either, I assume,” Hux says dryly. He can see it now, Ren cutting his way through whatever paltry defenses the militia had managed to put together until there were no other choices besides total surrender. It would have been a bloodbath.

He almost wishes Ren hadn’t cleaned up for dinner, because then Hux could straddle his lap right here at the table, have Ren touch his pristine uniform with his filthy gloves, lick the remnants of dried blood off of Ren’s mouth himself…

He clears his throat; his cheeks feel warm, but hopefully Ren doesn’t see it. It may just be the wine, although he doesn’t stop the serving droid from refilling his glass again. “Well, a lack of injuries is always something to be glad about. And with Vertu under our control, we’ll be able to consider developing those communications blockades we talked about before.”

The tension ebbs away slowly, which Hux is glad for, and it's easy to continue down that path as he and Ren continue discussing galactic business over bites of roasted meat and rice. Hux uses the gravy sparingly while Ren pours it generously over his tip-yip, but the food is still delicious. All in all, it’s a pleasant dinner; Ren seems determined to be on his best behavior now that his secret is out, and Hux is feeling indulgent after a good meal and the knowledge that their iron grip on the galaxy is only strengthening.

Why would he need useless trinkets from Ren when the proof of his devotion is in the empire that he’s handed over to Hux willingly?

“Did you ask the kitchen droids for any other courses?” he asks when the droids whisk away their empty plates.

Ren starts to shake his head, then pauses. “Just dessert. It's a chocolate cake, with camby berries. But we can get more food if you’re still hungry...?”

Hux thinks it over. “No need. We can ask the droids to send the cake to my quarters later. We have other important matters to discuss right now.” Ren is still staring at him in confusion, possibly by his non-sequitur. “In my quarters. Alone,” Hux emphasizes. Stars, is Ren going to make him say it aloud?

Thankfully, it doesn’t get to that point. “Oh,” Ren say, eyes widening. Of course, Hux might be cheating, by projecting thoughts to him about everything they could be doing, alone together in his quarters. And about the new package from a discreet boutique in Coruscant’s luxury district that Hux hasn’t had a chance to open yet. He’s eager to see if the new pieces fit as well as they should. And if Ren wants to interpret that as a reciprocal gift for him, then all the better. “Yes. Important matters. About Vertu. You’ll want a mission report?”

“It’s important for us to conduct all First Order business with full transparency, to avoid future surprises,” Hux agrees, rising from his chair as he drains the last sip of his wine. Ren circles around the table to join him now that he’s taken the hint, and they leave the dining room together.

As far as Sweethearts’ Day goes… well, Hux supposes that he can learn to accept some aspects of this holiday.

**Author's Note:**

> I exist on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/parttimewonders) and [Tumblr](https://part-timewonders.tumblr.com/).


End file.
